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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28073910">Flowering Bruises</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazellum/pseuds/Hazellum'>Hazellum</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ZaDr Soulmate AUs [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Invader Zim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, I wanted soulmate content, I wrote it, Soulmates, ZaDr, and ill be writing over 30 more soulmate fics by this time next year, im just, wildin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:55:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>865</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28073910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazellum/pseuds/Hazellum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This soulmates AU is basically "When you get injured, an equivalent amount of flowers bloom on your soulamtes skin where you are injured".    I figure cross-species soulmates are just Very Rare.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ZaDr Soulmate AUs [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056584</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>112</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Flowering Bruises</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Professor Membrane held his son in his arms, he smiled. He'd done it. After years of trying, he had managed to create a viable human clone- his son. Smiling, he rocked the infant in his arms, humming a lullaby. As he hummed, the Professor thought of everything that had led to this moment. Sure, not having a soulmate would bother most people, but Membrane didn't mind. Flowers appearing on his skin seemed like it would be an unnecessary distraction, plus it could contaminate experiments. </p><p>Then the flowers began to appear. Bushels of roses, hyacinth, lilies, and carnations. Up and down young Dib's arms, across his ribs, everywhere. Panicked, Membrane shouted for one of his assistants to prepare medical equipment. wherever Dib's soulmate was, for them to be so injured- </p><p>no, Membrane couldn't think about that right now. He had to make sure Dib would be okay. If the flowers reached his lungs-      Sure, the boy might grow up without his soulmate, but he'd get to grow up at least.</p><p>As the years passed, Dib would know that his soulmate wasn't dead- though sometimes he wondered how. For so many flowers to be blooming so often... Most people would die from injuries that grievous, but somehow Dib's soulmate survived, every time. At school, he heard people talking behind his back, about the flowers always blooming across Dib's skin.</p><p>It was like they didn't even care that somewhere out there, Dib's soulmate was hurt, horribly. Maybe dying. Every day, Dib was terrified that he'd find fresh flowers. But he was even more terrified that they'd stop blooming altogether.</p><p>As he grew up, Dib noticed there were times when his soulmate must have been relatively safe- years even would pass with only minor injuries. It was after the longest of these that Dib was so completely covered in flowers he had to be sent to the hospital, to clear his lungs and organs. For weeks after that, not another flower bloomed, and Dib cried. Wherever they were- whoever they were- nobody could survive injuries like that</p><p>And then, a couple of months later, a few blossoms appeared, right over his left eyebrow. And Dib cried again, this time tears of relief, tears of joy.</p><p>And so it went, for another couple years, until Dib was in college. A ring of roses appeared, circling his knee. Relatively small, compared to some of what he'd seen before.</p><p>But</p><p>for six months, nothing else appeared. Nothing. Not even the little buds that should appear where there are papercuts, or a stubbed toe, anything<br/>
there was just<br/>
nothing.<br/>
Dib's skin was completely clear of flowers.</p><p>He tried to ignore it, sure they would reappear, he just had to give it a few weeks.</p><p>Weeks passed.</p><p>Weeks turned to months.</p><p>Soon, half a year had passed, and Dib had given up hope, managed to mostly move on. At least, he was focusing on his work, and his cryptid hunting, and his college classes.</p><p>Sitting in class, listening to the professor ramble about theoretical physics, Dib was bored out of his mind.  Nothing fun ever happened in class. It was as he was staring at the clock that he noticed someone new walk through the door, into the lecture hall. They had green skin, hair that was obviously a wig, and... purple contacts. No nose, or ears.</p><p>Not human.</p><p>Years past, Dib would have jumped up right then and there, shouting at the alien intruder. By now, however, he knew no-one would believe him, certainly not just from his word alone. Instead, Dib sat, and waited, until the bell rang. </p><p>As soon as it did, Dib leaped from his seat and followed the poorly-disguised alien out of the lecture hall. As it walked, it looked over his shoulder, and Dib barely managed to duck into an open doorway and avoid being spotted. After this, he followed slower and more quietly.</p><p>Outside, on the quad, he tapped the alien on the shoulder. </p><p>"Hey, what planet are you from?" he asked, hoping to catch the alien off-guard and get it to reveal itself.</p><p>"Oh, Irk, its ama- fuck"</p><p>The alien facepalmed, before grabbing Dib in a headlock. Even as Dib was literally trying to wrestle away, nobody gave a shit, somehow believing the green dumbass saying Dib was his friend. The alien dragged Dib behind one of the campus buildings, before letting go.</p><p>"Listen here, human the AMAZING ZIM is not going to let you RUIN his plans to conquer this planet!" the alien- Zim- said, whisper-shouting.</p><p>"Wait, conquer? You're here to conquer Earth?!" Dib yelled, startled. He'd assumed Zim was just here for tourism, or something similar- by this point in his life, he knew Earth was kinda. </p><p>Well., shit, to be honest.</p><p>"Uhhh, what? No, No, of course not!" Zim said, backtracking, trying his best to fake an "innocent grin".  He was not prepared for Dib to wind up and punch him in the face, shouting about how he wouldn't let Zim conquer Earth.</p><p>Neither one of them was prepared for flowers to bloom across Dib's cheekbone, exactly where he'd punched Zim.</p><p>"Wait- shit," they both said, in unison, realizing what that meant.</p>
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